Lakers stamp authority on NBA Finals with dominating win over Heat

Orlando, Oct. 1 (IANS): The LA Lakers made their intentions loud and clear in the 2020 NBA Finals with a dominating 116-98 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 1.

In a game played late on Wednesday, the Heat were able to take an early 13-point but that was it. Post the first six minutes of the Game, the Lakers took control of the game and closed the first quarter on a 19-3 run. At one point, it became 75-30.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel agreed that the team got off to a slow start but lauded his bench for turning the tide. “Kuzma and Rondo came in and Alex, those guys brought great energy. Helped us get stops and get out on the break some. Rondo orchestrated a few buckets for us and helped turn the game around,” said Vogel.

LeBron James too agreed that run from Miami was like a wake up call for his team. “From that moment when it was 23-10, we started to play to our capabilities. We started flying around. We started getting defensive stops. We started sharing the ball a lot better offensively and just got into a really good groove,” explained James.

For Lakers, Anthony Davis was the star with 34 points, nine rebounds and five assists. James was happy he was on the same team as Davis. “I’m happy to be on the same floor with him and in the same uniform. He was, once again, a force in every facet of the game, offensively and defensively,” he said. Game 2 of the Finals between the two teams will now be played on Saturday.